Another $26 million has been spent by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador through the Atlantic Fisheries Fund.
The money is being used for projects that focus on modernizing technologies to improve quality of landings and increase productivity in the seafood sector, according to a DFO release.
On the harvesting side, 110 projects will allow fish harvesters to purchase innovative equipment and technologies to advance onboard handling techniques and increase productivity and product quality.
The projects range from $7,00-9,000 to enable inshore fishing enterprises from Garnish to Daniel’s Harbour purchase and install automatic jiggers; to $73,000 for a Lewisporte-based enterprise to purchase a high-resolution sounder; and 86,000 for a fishing enterprise in St. Lewis, Labrador, to install a trawl monitoring system.
In the aquaculture industry, 17 projects are getting funding from the fund.
The projects range from a $694,534 contribution to Grieg NL Nurseries Ltd. of Marystown to purchase and install salmon vaccination equipment; to a $1.2-million contribution to Newfoundland Aqua Service Ltd. of Milltown to purchase robotic net cleaning systems for aquaculture pens.
The Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) also received $467,000 for mussel and oyster inventory and product quality maintenance during COVID-19.
Of the 17 projects approved under the processing category the Fish Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) union is getting a $2.1 million for purchase and installation of a lobster storage and handling system valued at $2.7 million.
Some projects completed
Other funds approved for processing companies include: $99,000 for Hodder’s Shellfish of Stoneville, for sea urchin processing equipment; $1.7 million for Barry Group Inc. of Corner Brook to assist with the $5-million cost of purchase and installation of pelagics processing equipment; and $2.6 million for Triton Ocean Products of Triton to help with a $3.2-million project to purchase and install mussel processing equipment.
A spokesperson for the province’s fisheries department confirmed that while the announcement of the projects was made today, much of the funding was distributed to recipients throughout 2020 and some of the projects have been completed.
The contribution comes from the $400-million Atlantic Fisheries Fund, jointly funded by the federal and provincial governments, and focuses on increasing opportunities and market value for sustainably sourced, high-quality fish and seafood products from Atlantic Canada.
The fund is a $400 million, seven-year program launched in 2018 for the East Coast seafood industry.
The provincial governments provide 30 per cent of the funding approved for each project.
DFO says projects funded through the program have to focus on innovation to support research and development that encourages innovation; infrastructure and the adoption of new technologies and processes in seafood harvesting and production; and science partnerships that involve fishing and aquaculture industries with academia and research institutions to enhance knowledge and understanding of the impacts on the oceanographic environment.
